“It’s hard to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.”

She nods, even

though she has

no idea what

to say.

“I want my life back. I want it as it used to be.”

The straw man

gives her another

kind smile and

his words are

soft and comforting.

“Well now, I wouldn’t want that. If you went back to the way you used to be, you wouldn’t be who you are meant to be.”

She shook her

head, the uncertainty

deepening, the unease

she carries with

her in the

waking world alive.

“I don’t follow you. I just want to be normal again.”

The straw man

waves his hand.

“Pshaw! Normal. What is normal? Normal is boring. Normal is a bowl of porridge without brown sugar. Normal is what you want, but it’s not what you thirst for.”

She nodded, seeing

truth in his words.

“I suppose you’re right. I know I’m not like everyone else.”

“You’re special, Kimberlee. So very special. You have a light in you that shines brightly for all to see it. We are drawn to you like butterflies to the sun. You wouldn’t have that light if you were normal.”

The light that

he mentioned

begins to glow

from within her,

as if she is

carrying the sun

within her. She

watches the glow

intensify, even as

the light from

it makes the

road and the

straw man start

to fade away.

“Wait! What do I have to do? What can I do? How do I move forward?”

Even though the

man of straw

was fading from

sight, she could

see him smile.

“What you’ve always done. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep shining and keep living you life to the fullest. Everything else will fall into place. Trust yourself.”

“But why is it so difficult to do?”

“It’s always harder for people like us. You are a bright, beautiful spirit. You will find your way and then the journey on the road of yellow brick will become a joy instead of a hindrance. Trust yourself.”